One Plus One, Remember it Please
by AllTheHats
Summary: DISCONTINUED Small looks into Zero's life with Dio. Dio x Zero centric. Will also contain Dio x Sieghart, possibly other pairings later.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Um. I have this whole sort of established head canon where Zero's an android that was built specifically to wield Grandark, and that he's trying to learn what it means to be alive, I guess. So um. Yeah. On another note, I am probably not going to be writing from Zero's POV too often. It's hard trying to describe things in this sort of...factual way. My writing style relies heavily on the character's emotions, so writing from the POV of a character that doesn't fully understand even the concept of emotion is extremely difficult and just a little bit boring. Oh well, moving right along!

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><p><strong>Zero's POV<strong>

You wake up before he does today so you decide maybe you should try to make breakfast. You toss on one of his shirts. It's too big for you (he's only an inch taller than you. However, he likes wearing baggy clothes at home so it's practically hanging off of your only slightly smaller frame), but it smells like him so you don't really mind. The morning is crisp and not-warm. It makes little bumps appear on your skin and you think that maybe this is what cold feels like, but you can't really remember if that's the right word. You'll have to maybe ask Dio later, you think. For now, though, you focus on not waking him up and soundlessly slip out the door, carefully shutting it behind you before padding down the stairs and through the living room to the kitchen. That's when you notice you can see your breath and you are immediately fascinated, momentarily forgetting your goal. You inhale and exhale deeply a few times just to see the air in front of your face mist up. You think that later you are going to have to ask Dio about this, too.

But maybe you shouldn't. He already does so much for you. He lets you stay in his house for nothing at all and he's given you clothes and taught you what it means to "feel" ( although you still don't really understand what it means to have _feelings_) and that pain shouldn't just be ignored. He's taught you it's okay to feel nervous about going out to battle because sometimes people feel anxious about things like fighting and dying (fear, he called it, you think). Your expression remains as blank as ever, but your mind isn't anything near as calm. You aren't really too sure what the word "scared" means, but you think that you basically understand it and you think you are probably scared that Dio thinks that you aren't useful and doesn't want you here and that you are only a bother (you think there's probably a word for that type of feeling, too, but you can't really remember at all).

When you feel a hand on your shoulder you instinctively jump out of the way and reach for Grandark. Once you've calmed a bit though, you think it's very fortunate you left your sword in the bedroom, because if you had accidentally hurt Dio you think you'd probably be very sad and maybe a little angry with yourself. He asks you why on Earth you put an empty pan on the stove at the same time that you spot the clock on the wall behind him and realize that you had been standing in the middle of the kitchen for over an hour, your plan to make breakfast completely forgotten. When you tell him that you were going to make breakfast but forgot he starts laughing and your face flushes. You think you are probably embarrassed, and you are certain you don't like it.

But when he finally stops laughing, he tells you not to worry about it and says that he'll do it instead, and, you can't help but feel happy. You think smiling now would be appropriate.

You wish you could remember how.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Dio swears occasionally. Just watch out for that and you're good. I view Dio as this sort of arrogant, haughty, yet slightly paranoid person. Of course, he's a lot nicer around Zero than he is around other people, but meh. Chugging right along, then~

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><p><strong>Dio's POV <strong>

He confused and annoyed you at first. Not only did he seem uncertain about everything, but he asked too many questions. What's an expression? What does it mean to be angry? Why are you angry? What does annoying mean? Why do you say I'm annoying? At one point, you snapped and punched him in the face, telling him to shut the fuck up with the questions. It unnerved you when he simply stood up and started following you again like nothing had happened. Albeit silently.

When two weeks pass and he still hasn't said a single thing, you begin to regret yelling at him. Mostly because it was completely terrifying. With that blank face – did he even _have_ eyes under that weird metal mask of his? – pale white skin and the utter silence, he was like some sort of life-size porcelain doll. The kind that murders people in their sleep.

And so, you tell him that he doesn't have to take everything so literally, and you don't really mind if he talks. He simply responds with a nod. You're just a little worried that he's going to go on being a creepy doll forever, but your fears proved to be unfounded when just six minutes later he starts asking you about everything again.

It's almost – no, is – life changing when you realize that you missed his voice.

As time moved on and you became more accustomed to his questions, you start to grow attached to him. Many of the things he does that were originally bothersome you begin to find endearing. Even his constant, childish questioning of the world becomes oddly adorable to you. Eventually, you realized you loved him romantically. Nine hours of explaining later, Zero decided that yes, he probably loved you too, maybe, even if he wasn't sure he knew how to love, but he would try his best all the same.

He flinched away when you tried to kiss him that first time (and every time after), and he always apologizes when these things happen, when he behaves in a way that isn't "normal". At first you tried to comfort him. It's okay, I don't mind, I still love you. But he would only become more depressed. I'm sorry, I can't even hug you properly. I can't return your feelings properly. I am not fit to be your mate. I'm sorry. Everything you did somehow made him feel less adequate, so eventually you just learned to stop talking.

He cried once. There were no tears, but he was crying, you could tell. Watching his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold back his dry sobs, gasping for breath even as he apologized for not being strong enough, not good enough – it made you want to shed tears of your own. Not because he was right, but because he was so very, very wrong. Because he was beautiful and he couldn't see it. Because he could not see his own strength, nor could he recognize his own emotions, fleeting and fragile as they may be. Nothing you could possibly say could make him feel better, and you knew. So you sat by his side and let him cry nonexistent tears on your right shoulder until he fell asleep.

It was around the same time you realized that he tends to forget things a lot. You would teach him how to use something, or tell him something's name, and a few minutes (seconds, even) later he'd be back asking the same question again. Maybe you would find it annoying if you didn't find it so frightening. You are scared that one day, he'll forget he's trying to love you. One day, he might just wake up and completely forget who you are, or leave in the middle of the night.

That's why, this morning, when you wake up in bed alone, you freeze up. Your muscles all tense at once and your eyes go wide. The spot next to you is cold, so he's been gone for some time. Oh god. Oh _god_. Your hearts feels like it's trying to smash itself open and your throat clenches. You're breathing is more than slightly troubled. He probably realized he hated you or some shit. This is what you get for being a shitty ass boyfriend. When's the last time you did anything for him? He probably ran off to be with someone less temperamental, like Ronan or something. You're pretty sure Ronan's nice. No wait, Ronan's dating Elesis. Okay, so maybe he didn't suddenly decide to elope with Ronan, but be that as it may he still isn't –

Smoke. You smell smoke. The sob you were about to let out immediately dies in your throat as your mind screams at you, _please be_ _Zero, please be Zero, Zero, Zero, _Zero! Flinging off the covers and rushing to get downstairs, practically jumping from the first to second floor (you probably could have, as you are fairly certain a flight of stairs can't kill you). Your eyes immediately dart around the house, and when they land on your slightly ditzy lover in the kitchen, you start to breathe again, and your heart decides it doesn't want to help you commit suicide just yet.

He's standing there staring blankly at the wall, wearing nothing but a shirt that's way too big for hi – is that _your _shirt? Jesus this is like something out of one of those shitty book things Arme likes to read. … Which doesn't change the fact that it's completely adorable. Resisting the urge to run up and hug him (he'd probably reflexively break half the bones in your body before it registers that you aren't an enemy), you instead walk up (relatively) calmly and place a hand on his shoulder. Your fingers barely brush against the fabric before he's jumped away, his hand reaching over his back for a sword that isn't there. Wait. He doesn't have Grandark on him. That means the freaky living sword is still propped up on the nightstand by the bed. Why didn't you see it? If you had, you wouldn't have panicked so badly – Zero would never leave for good without his sword. It'd throw a hissy fit.

You start to swear at yourself, but as the olive haired swordsman chooses this point in time to turn around, you cover by instead asking about the pan on the stove. It helps that you really _do _want to know why in the name of Gaia he's left an empty pan on the stove. When he says he got up early to make you breakfast, you can't hold back the laughter. You were freaking out because you thought he didn't care about you anymore, when really, he was trying to show you just how much he _did _care. You are so relieved and happy that you can't stop laughing like an idiot, and now he's blushing and that is just so _cute_. In between giggles, you pull out a chair at the table for him, saying that you'll do it instead. You don't normally enjoy doing housework like this, but now you're in such good spirits you highly doubt anything can dampen your mood.

You resolve to bring Zero out of the house today, because it's nice out and why not, even if you have to drag him out kicking and screaming (which won't happen, because Zero doesn't kick and scream).


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Oh my gosh, it's been several weeks already, huh. :T This chapter has been sitting on my computer along with three others for the longest time now. The problem is that I'll think of how I want a chapter to begin and/or end, but then have no idea what to do with the middle. Hopefully I can finish those up soon too and get them posted.

Just want to mention now that these chapters aren't going to be completely linear. Like, they'll be chronological for the most part, but they aren't going to take place right after each other. The previous two chapters just happened to end up that way. _

Shiro: I am not changing my writing style for you. This is how I write lately. I know it might be kind of confusing at first, since you're probably used to reading in third person, but is it really that hard to adjust? I mean, you can read stories in first person without any trouble, right? It's pretty much the same thing, except with "you" instead of "I". Also, they'll talk when they happen to talk. My more narrative style of writing doesn't leave a lot of room for dialogue, it just doesn't flow. But, occasionally, like near the end of this chapter, you'll see a character saying a sentence or two.

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><p><strong>Dio's POV<strong>

It's pouring rain outside when Ryan shows up at your door. He's completely soaked from head to toe. So much so, in fact, that his normally gravity defying hair is plastered against his forehead and clinging to his neck, though some strands defiantly refuse to lay completely flat, sticking out at odd angles. For some reason, he's not wearing his jacket but rather has it balled up and is hugging it against his chest. You discover why when he invites himself in (rude!), as you hear mewling and see something stir (just barely) in his arms. Carefully placing the impressively dry (considering just how wet he was himself, and how hard it was raining out) bundle on the table in the living room (he tracked water into your damn house. You make a mental note to tell him that he's cleaning that up himself later), he then proceeds to gingerly pull out a kitten.

He explains that he found it on the road, huddled by its drowned mother and dying siblings. This kitten was the only one in the litter he managed to save (you think his eyes got a bit watery while he said that, but with how wet he already is it's hard to tell). He wants to keep the kitten himself, but he lives too far to reasonably bring the not yet fully healed kitten without risking its life (Not that you're convinced with that excuse. Lire probably just won't let him have any more pets. He already has five dogs, a ferret, two cats, a whole family of hamsters, a chicken and a snake. You honestly don't think he needs any more pets either.). You don't even have to listen to the rest to know that he's basically saying he wants you to take care of the thing. You are already saying no and telling Ryan to get out when Zero, who'd been in the living room the whole time, curiously comes up to the table and scoops up the tiny fur ball in his hands. He strokes its ears and it purrs, rubbing its little head against his hand. The corners of Zero's mouth turn up – just the slightest bit – and he brings the kitten closer to himself, before glancing up at you.

You close your mouth without saying anything. You can't say no to Zero. You know you are going to end up keeping the kitten, and if the stupidly smug grin on his face is anything to go by, Ryan knows it too. You almost want to argue, but the fact that the dumb kitten nearly makes your lover smile again when it climbs up his arm and snuggles against his neck is enough to shut you up. Most other people wouldn't even notice the change in his expression, but to you, it's some sort of miracle. You don't think you've ever seen the swordsman this happy.

Ryan goes on about proper kitten care for almost an hour before finally leaving. (You realize only after he's already out of sight that you forgot to make him clean up the mess he made coming in.)

The kitten is now completely healthy again and far too energetic. Zero is practically in love with the thing (in fact, sometimes you have a hard time telling whether he's dating you or the kitten), but you aren't too fond of it. Sure, you don't hate it, but you don't like it either. It's far too annoying. It isn't long until you don't even have to actively try to avoid the fluff ball anymore, you just instinctively do it. Not that it matters much, since it has always been more Zero's kitten than yours.

One day, Zero gets a mission. You offer to go with him, but he refuses, saying that someone has to take care of the kitten. You have to bite back a snarl. It can be left with Ryan, you argue. After all, it's not like Ryan is new to taking care of animals, and he's the one who found the kitten in the first place. He can probably do a better job looking after it then either of you could anyway. But he stubbornly refuses, and when he says please you can't help but give in.

You quickly find out that the kitten is even more annoying then you originally gave it credit for. It starts yowling loudly if you don't feed it the moment you wake up, and is constantly trying to scratch up the furniture (you have no idea how Zero managed to stop it from doing so). It also gets stupidly loud and whiny if you don't play with it. It's when you're playing with it that you finally take a good look at the critter.

The kitten's eyes are green; a shockingly pale green that could almost be yellow. The color immediately reminds you of Zero's eye color. Or, rather, of what you assume is Zero's eye color, since you aren't really sure if those are his eyes you see through the mask or not. For all you know he doesn't have eyes and that 'mask' is actually some sort of radar or something (considering he doesn't even take off the mask while sleeping, you wouldn't be too surprised if it was).

Before you know it, the kitten is sleeping on the pillow next to you, but you find that you don't care. Even after Zero returns, you still occasionally play with the kitten.

Almost a month later, you're sitting on the couch with Zero when, suddenly, a thought occurs to you.

"One."

He turns to you, clearly confused. "The kitten" you clarify, "let's name it One."

Zero stares at you for at least another minute, before nodding and turning to the kitten, scratching it behind the ears and repeating its new name quietly to himself. He absentmindedly mentions that it never even occurred to him that it needed a name. You are glad that you remembered.

After all, it is such a fitting name. One comes right after zero. They are both somewhat absentminded. They are both still learning how to function properly. They both have those same, shockingly bright eyes that almost seem to glow lightly in the dark. They both act stupidly adorable without even realizing it. And, most importantly, they both managed to find a special place in your heart.

One right after Zero.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dio's POV**

"I want to die."

That was the first thing Sieghart ever said to you. He was, quite literally, making a deal with the devil. But…you could not grant his wish. His immortality was granted to him by the gods. You have no power to interfere with their divine blessings. You pitied – still pity – the immortal. His soul was tattered and worn, just barely hanging on to life, like a broken spider's web that still clings stubbornly to its branch. It was a mess of patchwork where the thread had been tugged out by deft, nimble hands and re-sewn by those same ones many a time. Though his body had not aged a day since the gods' gift, his soul yearned for a rest.

For the first time, you truly wanted to grant someone's wish. Nobody righteous or deserving ever turns to Asmodia for their desires, after all. Unfortunately, fate has a cruel sense of humor, and as such, it's only natural that the one person who _is_ righteous and deserving of your assistance is also the one person you cannot offer it to.

"I cannot accept your soul."

He laughs. It's dry and hollow. He grins, but it doesn't reach his eyes. You see it then. His heart, when his mask falls for just a moment, the carefully constructed layers of arrogance and obliviousness falling away to reveal a wise, wary old traveler who simply seeks to rest for a while. Yet, none would have him. Death turns him away as one would turn away a beggar at the door.

"I didn't think they'd let me escape so easily anyway."

It wasn't meant for your ears. He was simply talking to himself. But you heard it anyway. And suddenly, it becomes clear – he's a prisoner, though the others cannot see it. He's tied down to the gods and to fate – as long as they live, as long as time itself exists, he's but a caged bird – and reality itself is the cage. He turns and waves a brief farewell, casually walking away. Everything about him in that moment screamed that it was a lie, a ruse; the act of a man who's forgotten what it means to feel, to live, to be. In that moment, he was less than a man, less than an empty shell. He was but a puppet, dancing on fate's strings and hoping that which kept him tied would snap. He was nothing. No – in that moment, he was less than nothing.

And in that moment, he was beautiful.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Sorry that this took so long, and it's so short, too. :/ I just couldn't find the inspiration to write. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person, taking so long after promising to get chapters up quickly. QQ


	5. Chapter 5

****AN: ****Jin harbors absolutely no romantic feelings for Sieghart whatsoever in this fic. Just saying because it might seem kind of like he does in this chapter, but I assure you they are just good friends - nothing more. Jin is, after all, madly in love with Amy.

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><p><strong>Dio's POV<strong>

He's screaming. _Screaming_.

And Jin's just standing there like this is completely normal.

It makes you both sad and angry to realize it probably is. You take a step forward, intent on stopping him – by force if necessary – but Jin moves to block your way. The fighter says nothing, but he doesn't have to. The look he's giving you is enough.

_Don't. I've already tried. You'll hurt him._

So you hold your mouth shut and turn back to watch. He's been screaming this whole time. He still is. You briefly wonder how long he has been, and whether this is why he occasionally complains that his throat hurts; if this isn't a common thing for him, these…episodes. He smashes his head against the wall, nails scratching uselessly against the wood. Some of his fingers don't have nails, blood trailing from the still fresh wounds. A sickening feeling settles in the pit of your stomach when you realize he must've ripped them off himself. He turns around abruptly, kicking over a table and shattering a vase in the process. Bits of glass and clay scatter everywhere.

This is the first time he's faced the door since you got here, and you see that he's not crying like you thought he would be, though his eyes are kind of red like he had been. He breaks a window. More glass. A piece scratches Jin's face, and he flinches but otherwise doesn't react, he's too concentrated on the swordsman. Jin's eyes are sad. Thinking back on how he never complained when Sieghart teased him or ordered him around like a servant, you realize that Jin has probably always known that Sieghart wants to die. You are relieved, if only slightly, that Sieghart has someone there for him, because the Gods themselves would stand testimony to the fact that you can't be.

He turns again suddenly, to the left this time, and for some unexplainable reason, you feel uneasy. It's only when he reaches for his sword that you realize why: he's stopped screaming. You get a brief chill down your back and you can't bear to just stand and _watch_ this anymore, it's all so sickening and so incredibly _unfair._ You scowl and start to head towards Sieghart, but Jin stops you again, this time by grabbing your wrist. You turn back to face him.

Jin suddenly lets go of your arm and jumps back, eyes trained intently on your face, expression a mix of fear and surprise. It's only then that you realize you're growling, teeth clenched and fangs bared. It's a primitive sound, and somewhere in the back of your mind you realize you should be ashamed you are even making it. But right now you're angry. Not at Jin, he hasn't' done anything wrong, and he's one of the few people who are willing to be there for the immortal. You certainly are not mad at Sieghart – you can't be mad at him for hating this, and as much as you want to tell yourself otherwise, you aren't even mad at the Gods. You aren't sure _who_ or _what_ you're angry at, you're just...just _angry._

You don't have time to figure this out, because suddenly Jin isn't looking at you anymore, he's looking behind you and he looks pained. He's holding back tears, but you don't think he's sad as much as frustrated. You face Sieghart again. For a moment, all you see is red; red pooling on the floor, red soaking into black and purple cloth, red dyeing normally ebony locks with its sickening hue. It takes quite a while for the scene to register properly in your mind…particularly the severed limb now lying on the ground. You find yourself frozen to the spot, your previous rampant anger seeming to have vanished at the sight.

Or perhaps it was transferred to the redhead, who is now marching angrily over to Sieghart. The fighter – any of the Chase, really – is terrifying when angry. It helps that any one of them can (and will) tear down mountains and level cities in a single moment. Right now, Jin is crying, and yet no less frightening. His fury, combined with the immortal's almost maniacal laughter, is utterly horrifying.

"Why are you laughing? _Why?_ Sieghart…!"

He doesn't finish his sentence, as Sieghart passes out from the rapid blood loss, head hitting the floor with a dull thud. Jin screams. It isn't like Sieghart's screams earlier, though. Sieghart was devastated, but Jin is just stressed. You only recognize this because that scream is so familiar to you. How many times have you heard that same tone, that same angry, aimless yelling, coming from your own throat? It's the same as the screams that tore from your throat when Zero first started living with you. You were frustrated, angry, sick of it all – but you knew you couldn't abandon him either, and it left you wanting to just _break _something.

Once he's finished, he shuts his eyes briefly, tears still sliding down his face but his breath slowing. When it's returned to normal entirely, he kneels down, gingerly picking up the swordsman and if the distinctive lack of a leg bothers him, he doesn't let it show. You get the feeling he's used to seeing the immortal like this, parts missing and covered in red. It crosses your mind that this certainly gives a new, morbid meaning to Sieghart's nickname for his granddaughter. Jin sets Sieghart down carefully on the bed in the corner. He doesn't turn to face you, and when he speaks, his voice is low and hoarse.

"Leave. You didn't have to – shouldn't have – seen this. Leave, leave, leave _leave LEAVE!" _By the end he's yelling, and though you almost offer to help him clean up the…the mess (you refuse to acknowledge that all of that is blood, even in your mind), you think better of it and instead do as he bids, leave. As you shut the door behind you, you can't help but whisper, "Good luck."

He'll need it. And you sincerely hope that he can do a better job of patching up Sieghart than you did of fixing Zero.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Sorry this chapter is so depressing. I promise we'll be back to our regularly scheduled fluff with the next update, but I was talking to my friend and somehow we ended up talking about how some people cut themselves. Then that lead me to think, shit, Sieg's immortal. Imagine the extremes he could take with that, and well...this happened.


	6. Chapter 6

****AN: ****I give up on apologizing for updating late because I've come to terms with the fact that I suck at sticking to schedules. I have no excuse, I'm just a lazy bastard. At least I'm updating a bunch at once, haha. Enjoy the triple update.

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><p><strong>Dio's POV<br>**There's a slight rumble, and that's all the warning you get. The jagged cliff-path that the group is walking on crumples. Zero pushes Amy ahead. She almost falls into the rapids below, even with Zero's help. Luckily, Jin was, as always, just ahead of her, and he quickly grabbed on to her arm and pulled her back on to sturdier ground. Your lover, on the other hand, is not so lucky.

You completely flip out, and ditching all pretense of not being completely obsessed with your boyfriend (not that anyone believes you, anyway), you leap off the edge. You don't remember the last time you'd used them (you'd almost forgotten you had them), but as soon as you grab his hand, your wings instinctively erupted from your shoulder blades, bringing with them a searing feeling like fire coursing through your veins. They work furiously to keep you above water, which you're just barely managing to do.

But that's all you can do.

You snarl under your breath, and when you feel your grip on Zero's hand start to slip because of the water, you immediately grab on to his wrist with your other hand. You're trying so hard to rip him out of the water, into your arms, but the currents are too strong, and oh _gods his head keeps going under_. You can feel yourself sinking, you realize that if you don't let go, you'll get dragged in too. Too damn bad there's nothing on the whole gods damned planet and stars above that could possibly make you ever, _ever_ let go of his hand. Even if it means you have to fucking drown with him. You barely hear the roar in the background, because your wings decide that this is too much to expect after not having so much as stretched the things since forever ago, and they give. You crash into the water, and the force makes you lose your grip on Zero's arm. You try to scream, but then there's just water, and cold.

Then, the next thing you know, you're in the air again, except this time you've been slung over someone's shoulder. As soon as you see those bright orange feathers, though, it clicks. Ryan. He's assumed the form of nature's wrath, but it doesn't even register that he just saved your life because all you can think is _'Oh god _Zero', and you vaguely realize that you're struggling to get out of his grip, but he won't _let go_ so you kick him. He grunts then, and shifts you slightly. Now you aren't over his shoulder anymore and you can see, with much relief, that he has Zero cradled in his other arm. If you had been thinking straight, you would've probably taken it as a personal assault to your masculinity that not only had Ryan just saved both you _and _your lover, but was now taking you both steadily upwards where you had trouble just staying level. As it is, however, you're just glad to see he's okay. Shivering far too much and subconsciously leaning into Ryan, no doubt for body heat (which speaks volumes about how cold he must be, considering he flinches when anyone so much as brushes against him), but clearly still breathing, and that's good enough.


	7. Chapter 7

**Zero's POV**

You are vaguely aware that you had just been through a terrifying situation, and that you should have been scared for your life. But all you're really aware of is the fact that you're cold. It's kind of fascinating, really. Your body is shivering and the wind rushing by isn't helping, but at least you aren't in the water anymore. Your body gives another involuntary shudder, and the cold goes from fascinating to uncomfortable, so you press closer to the warmth at your side, attempting to make the cold go away.

It doesn't work.

The warmth begins to pulls away and something between a growl and a whimper escapes your throat as you instinctively attempt to cling on to it, but it suddenly goes away entirely, leaving you huddling in on yourself and shivering more violently then before. You can make out the fact that you're on the ground now, and people are talking. At least, you are pretty sure it's talking, you can't really tell. All the sounds are blending together and anyway it all sounds kind of muffled and distant, like they're on the other side of a styrofoam wall. Someone's running a hand through your hair, and saying something over and over again. You think it might be your name, but you can't really be sure.

You try your hardest to open your eyes and make a fire, to do something to get warmer but you just can't do it, and you can feel your consciousness slipping. Just as someone comes over and pulls you up again it abandons you completely. You continue to slip in and out of consciousness for a while, so nothing really makes sense because it's just bits and pieces of things. There's a fire at one point (but it's still cold), then someone's trying to give you food and water, then all of a sudden you're being held tightly and you don't wake up again until morning.


	8. Chapter 8

**Dio's POV**

You wake up feeling stiff, with a crick in your neck and just feeling generally miserable. There's some kind of weight on your legs, which has probably been there all night, which also explains why you can't feel them at all right now. The fact that the group wasn't able to find shelter before nightfall, thereby having to settle for setting up a ridiculously inadequate camp was not helping improve your mood. You want to go punch the guy who decided to give the Chase a mission out in the middle of fucking nowhere.

The weight on your legs shifts slightly, and you groan, because now your legs are getting that weird pins-and-needles feeling. You swear that the first person you see today is going to get punched in the face for your shitty morning.

"Dio?"

You let out a low hiss, your eyes snapping open, ready to tear someone's eyes out. Then you rethink that idea. Partially because you aren't even sure if the person before you has eyes, but mostly because it's Zero, propped up on one elbow but still leaning partially on your leg. Zero. With his olive tinted hair loose, framing his face and spilling over his shoulders, catching the light _just_ enough to take your breath away. _Zero_, who is once again only wearing one of your shirts that are too big on him. No wait, he has shorts on this time. Whatever, he's still adorable. Though you wonder _why_ he's dressed so lightly out in the middle of nowhere, on a mission no less, when your brain finally wakes up enough to click the memories from last night into place. He fell in the river. Well, no, that makes it sound like his fault, and it wasn't. Not really.

He was shivering so damn much, even after you put him by the fire, and you were scared that even though he'd survived the water he would still just get sick and die or something. It was kind of horrifying to imagine, and it didn't help that he didn't wake up. Well, he did, once, for a moment, but he fell right back asleep again and you were so, so scared that he would sleep forever but there he is, sitting up and looking like a small, lost animal. You're so damn happy he's okay that you don't even stop to think before you lean in and kiss him.

You immediately notice your mistake, however, when his hands shoot up and he starts to shove you away, but then he realizes what he's doing and he just freezes up, torn between not wanting to disappoint you and his…_issues_ with touching people. You quickly pull away, but the damage has already been done, and now he's just staring at the ground with his hands over his mouth. He finally looks up at you again and you can just _tell_ that an apology's on his lips and all you can think is _hell _no he isn't going to say sorry! Not again! He was doing so damn well up until now, too. So before so much as a whisper leaves his throat you blurt out,

"I'm sorry."

He stops and just stares at you, not comprehending. You're apologizing for kissing him like that, you explain. But then you realize that isn't the only thing, you're also sorry because you couldn't save him yesterday, at the river. If it wasn't for Ryan you'd both be dead. Then you're apologizing for not preventing him from falling in the first place, and suddenly you just can't stop apologizing. You're saying sorry for everything you can ever remember having done to wrong him, no matter how slight, even going so far as to apologize for those one-sided arguments you'd gotten in way back when you first met.

Suddenly, he starts laughing, and now it's your turn to stare dumbly. In all the time you've known him, the most you've ever seen is a small, barely-there smile and now he's just cracking up. You aren't the only one either. You're only vaguely aware that the others must have woken up sometime during your long-ass string of apologies and now they're staring at Zero too, amazed.

"I-I'm sorry" he manages between giggles, and before you can reprimand him for apologizing again he continues, "but this is…isn't this kind of backwards?"

Comprehension dawns on you, and you can't help but crack a smile yourself.

"Yeah. I guess it is."

And then you're both laughing, and it's contagious because soon everyone else is too, until none of you can even remember what was so funny in the first place.


	9. DISCONTINUED

Hey there. So, when I started this story, I had no idea where I was going with it. I'd had a little plot bunny, and it was just kind of always hopping around being all, "Hey! Hey look at me!" so I did. But the thing is, it wasn't big enough yet. Just a little thing, barely born, you know what I mean? It had no direction and no sense. It kind of just was. Not to mention it was a hyper little thing. It was just so eager to get to some place it could see in its little bunny head that it was just sprinting on down, and now it's gotten tired and regrets running so damn fast.

The story that resulted was…weak, to say the least. Looking back at the chapters I've already written is actually kind of _painful _because it's pretty darn terrible. Actually, I'd felt that it was lacking for a while now, but I kept writing because I figured maybe I could make it better. But, you see, that little bunny's gotten bigger now. It's almost a rabbit. It has a place it wants to go and this route just isn't taking it there, so there's nothing to do but abandon this path and go down another. Don't worry, man. This story will be back, eventually. Except, this time, it'll be better. So, while I am discontinuing THIS version of the story, it's not _discontinued,_ discontinued, yeah? Just...getting rebooted, I suppose; like wiping the memory off a game disc. School's going to be out soon, so I'll have time to actually write something decent, too. While it's been a great ride, and one I've enjoyed immensely, it isn't one I'm proud of. Big thanks to those of you who have supported me thus far, and I hope to see the lot of you again.

Expect the reboot to be up in two or three weeks, under the title _Broken Glass_.


End file.
